A Talent For Adversity

Of the British golfers sent to Seattle, only Christmas and, to a lesser extent, Bonallack used the extreme pivot. For the rest, the minute their timing went astray so did their shots—far more erratically than the badly hit shots of the pivoting Americans.

Even so, the Americans who defended the Walker Cup with such determination at Seattle are an exceptionally strong group of amateurs to have around at any one time. Jack Nicklaus, still only a 21-year-old undergraduate at Ohio State, is as powerful and exciting a golfer as there is anywhere, pro or amateur. He hits the ball a mile, and the galleries love him as he propels his blubbery 210 pounds along the fairways.

Deane Beman (see page 44), the defending national champion, is by no means as exciting a golfer as Nicklaus, but he is an exceptional putter who can win matches on the greens that he seems to have kicked away on other parts of the course. Charlie Coe, the lean and quiet Oklahoman, has twice been the national champion, and this spring he came within a stroke of tying Gary Player for the Masters championship.

Only a notch or so behind these three are Bill Hyndman III, a tall, 45-year-old Philadelphia insurance man who this year won the North and South tournament; Bob Gardner, a 40-year-old New Yorker who is the most consistently successful tournament golfer in the northeastern states; and Dr. Frank (Bud) Taylor, 43, who can take only occasional leaves from his dental practice in Pomona, Calif. to compete in the major events. It would be difficult to find another year in which our Walker Cup team had six players to match these.

When the two days of Walker Cup play were finished, there was a simple presentation ceremony on the first tee with the tall, dignified evergreens for a backdrop. The 20 players and a couple of dozen officials were seated on folding chairs, smiling and clapping as the U.S. captain, Jack Westland, and Lawrie thanked everyone for everything and paid some graceful compliments to one another. Despite the one-sided results, a warm and happy feeling bathed the gathering. Captain Lawrie spoke feelingly of the new friends his team had made and clearly defined why it is that every two years the British enthusiastically organize another team for a new defeat. "We didn't win," he said, "but we won a lot of other things that we covet more."